Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower

Clouds - Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower

May 20, 2015. Clouds - Florida Hospital Orlando - Ginsburg Tower.

I've been giving a lot of thought lately to architecture in Orlando, particularly hospital architecture.

There are few places so deeply tied to life - and death - in our minds, yet so few hospitals in the world designed with a sense of place and dignity befitting coming into and going out of the world. The city of Orlando has incredible hospital architecture, including one of my favorites, Orlando Health's Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, designed by Jonathan Bailey Associates.

Florida Hospital's 15-story Ginsburg Tower, designed by Hunton Brady and completed in 2008, is less striking from the outside than the orbs and cylinders of Winnie Palmer. Most photographs that you will see of Ginsburg do not do it justice. They are from the distance, but the building was designed to be viewed from below and within.  The angle shown above, taken from the banks of Lake Estelle in the College Park community, shows its beautiful, embracing curves.

The real beauty of this tower is in its patient rooms, though, which are elegant, dignified, and spacious. Windows that reflect clouds from the outside let in a gorgeous view of Lake Estelle from the patient rooms on the inside. The rooms have dedicated family areas so that patients, loved ones, and clinical staff all have the room that they need.

This past year marked the passing of designer and architect Michael Graves, known in Orlando for his Swan and Dolphin hotels at Walt Disney World. Confined to a wheelchair later in life, Graves switched his attention to patient-centric healthcare design. How fitting that the hospital facilities in the Orlando area are among the standard-setters in thoughtful design.

iPhone 6 Plus. 4.15mm.

Sheltered

Sheltered 

July 6, 2012. "Sheltered." Ormond-By-The-Sea, Florida.

But for one mother with her baby, beachgoers seem unaffected as fronts colide on Florida's coast, creating a thunderstorm directly overhead.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/16. ISO 100. LR 4.1.

jardin de lumière

jardin de lumière

June 4, 2012. jardin de lumière. EPCOT. Walt Disney World. Near Orlando, FL.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 4 seconds. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Unflinching

Unflinching 

June 2, 2012. Unflinching.

A banister stares straight ahead at Disney's EPCOT Italy Pavilion near Orlando, Florida.

My first entry into the Google+ #bokehtuesday hashtag.

 Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/2.8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Orb

Orb 

June 22, 2012. "Orb." Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Orlando, Florida.

It always surprises me when discussions of "great" Florida architecture fail to include the Winnie Palmer Hospital, instead cataloging out a list of inferior, uninspired, sentimental inclusions because tourists may know their names.

Then there's relatively unrecognized Winnie Palmer Hospital. The fact is, when you go to a hospital, you're stressed. The Winnie Palmer building centers around the patient and the anxious family in a very literal, circular way, making them feel protected and drawn together. Patient rooms in the towers feed out like spokes on a wheel and feel more like nice hotel rooms than institutional cubes for an endless night of beeping and needle sticking.

The orb in the front is a huge waiting room, bringing in showers of tranquil natural light and eliminating that "trapped" feeling that sets in after an hour or ten.

When visiting photographers express a desire to take unusual photos of the Orlando not seen, I always include Winnie Palmer building. A few weeks later, I enjoy seeing their overly processed pictures of Disney as if they were uniquely blessed that year among Orlando's 51 million annual tourists to catch that prefabricated moment in the Magic Kingdom. Orlando area photographers tend to feed into the perception that there's nothing worth shooting in Orlando outside the theme parks, and it is a shame.


Years ago, guidebook author and PBS nerd extraordinaire Rick Steeves was asked, "What is the one place that you would never go back to?" His answer, "I was recently in Orlando and couldn’t stop thinking how miserable I’d be if I had to write a guidebook chapter on that city."

Rick Steeves writes the best tour books on European cities for budget travelers. His books are about exploring the non-touristy side of cities while still taking in the popular sites, and I wouldn't get on a plane crossing the Atlantic without his current version.

Mr. Steeves, like most Orlando tourists and convention delegates, forgets this as soon as tires touch down at Orlando International Airport.

Every place has its beauty. Go find it where you live, in your own backyard.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Kerouac

Kerouac 

June 24, 2012. Kerouac.

The small house where Beats author Jack Kerouac lived while waiting for the publication of On the Road and writing The Dharma Bums resides in the quiet College Park neighborhood near downtown Orlando.

It is now home to the Jack Kerouac Writer in Residence project.

I've known that the house existed since I was in college at Rollins, but I had never bothered to find it. An article I read regarding the tie between Vespa scooter culture in the 1950s and early 1960s and the Beat movement made me think of finding this hidden local landmark. Some night shots seemed the only appropriate way to go.

After taking a few long exposures, I decided to step into one of them for a self portrait. It turned out to be my favorite of the set.

Kerouac reportedly once said that Saint Petersburg, Florida, was "a good place to come to die."

Jack Kerouac died in Saint Petersburg, two hours west of Orlando, on October 21, 1969. He was only 47.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 8 seconds. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Temptation (Pinocchio)

Temptation (Pinocchio) 

June 8, 2012. Temptation (Pinocchio). Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom, near Orlando, Florida.


Jiminy Cricket: [to Pinocchio] Remember what I said about temptations?
[points to Honest John] ... That's him!
Pinocchio: Oh, no, Jiminy. That's Mr. Honest John.

A Google+ #MonochromeMonday post featuring the intersection of cartoon fantasy and reality that has defined Orlando since 1971.


Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

Mirror Mirror - Monochrome

June 1, 2012. Mirror Mirror - Monochrome. Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Lake Buena Vista (near Orlando) Florida.

For #MonochromeMonday on Google+, a shot of Cinderella's Castle reflected in the waters from the Frontierland bridge, shot at 1/4 second handheld, using the bridge to help stabilize the shot.

Check back tomorrow to see the color version!

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/4. f/2.8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

Vitalogy - Toronto, Canada

May 26, 2012. Vitalogy. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Perhaps it was the phrenology bust or the general warehouse district steampunk superstore nature of this closed shop in Toronto's Distillery District, but something about it reminded me of the album artwork for Pearl Jam's "Vitalogy."

It was also a good excuse to try out my new travel tripod.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1 second. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Moretti Man - Toronto, Canada

Moretti Man - Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. Moretti Man. Toronto, Canada.

Stuck at a traffic light in Little Italy, I pulled my camera out, set the exposure, and tossed it to my wife in the back seat.

"Quick, take a picture!"

"Of what?"

"Of the Moretti Man walking by the Moretti sign."

She got off this one shot before a truck moved in the way. Not bad. What do you think?

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Going Nowhere

Going Nowhere

May 24, 2012. Going Nowhere. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

On the way to visit Vespa Toronto West, I came across this seatless, barless, rusted bicycle locked to a bridge and wondered, "What Would Victor Bezrukov Do?"

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

Crisscross - Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. Crisscross. Toronto, Canada.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8. ISO 100. LR 2.

Daydreaming - Toronto, Canada

Daydreaming - Toronto, Canada

May 23, 2012. Daydreaming. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A new mother crowds onto a TTC bus with her carriage, dreaming of other places.

 Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/11. ISO 100. LR 2.

How Much is that Vespa In the Window? - Toronto, Canada

How Much Is That Vespa in the Window?

May 25, 2012. How Much is that Vespa in the Window? Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

I cannot resist a picture of a classic Vespa.

Evidently, neither can my friends. (Hi Brent and Marsha jumping into the shot in the background...).

Toronto has a nice scooter culture when it isn't a snow factory. This photo was taken in Motoretta, a scooter shop in the Little Italy area that has a lot of classic scooters along with some Stellas. It also has a very nice new official Piaggio Vespa dealership on the west end of Toronto.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/8. ISO 400. LR 2.

Cattle Car. Toronto, Canada

Cattle Car. Toronto, Canada.

May 24, 2012. "Cattle Car." Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The faces on commuters, each alone in thought along Toronto's Bloor-Danforth line, seem to scream "Happy Monday!"

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/125. f/4.5. ISO 800. LR 2.

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

In Stride - CN Tower, Toronto, Canada

May 25, 2012. "In Stride - CN Tower." Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

A commuter walks across the Bathurst Street bridge in Toronto. The CN Tower featured in the shot is the "tallest freestanding structure in North America" and an architectural icon for the city of Toronto and one of the highlights of its ultra-modern skyline.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/250. f/8.0. ISO 100. LR 2.

Change - Toronto, Canada

Change.

May 24, 2012. Change. Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When I started this photo blog a few months ago, I mentioned that I may diverge at times from street photography posts or from posts specific to the Orlando, Florida area. This isn't really a change.

I spent this past week in Toronto, Canada, visiting my in-laws. Toronto is a very photogenic city, going through a rapid wave of change and immigration that makes me think of what New York must have been like 100 years ago, only with more hipsters. The next several posts will feature photos that I felt captured something special about Toronto and Torontonians.

The "change" photo is appropriate though, because there are changes in how the other pages of this blog are organized. This is, and will continue to be, "Orlando Street Photography." For shots where I digress and explore other places that I want to share, separate sub-gallery pages will be created.

The photo above was taken in the Scarborough area of Toronto at a Roots store. For those who have never been to Canada, "Roots" is a Canadian athletic clothing brand similar to American Eagle Outfitters or The Gap. Canadian tourists in Europe are particularly fond of Roots clothing because it helps identify them as being Canadian.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that being Canadian makes one much more likeable than being American.

Personally, I've found that the manner in which you treat people when visiting another land has a much greater bearing on how affable they find you than the country printed on your passport.

That said, the vast majority of Torontonians are genuinely friendly, affable folks with a strong sense of both individualism and community. Hopefully that will shine through in the photo posts that follow.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 200. LR 2.

Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome

Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome

May 20, 2012. Orlando Skyline from I-4, Monochrome.

A color version of this skyline shot was posted last week. While I love the blue tones in it, I prefer the monochrome version.

This shot was taken from the passenger's seat driving down I-4 through downtown Orlando. The best views of the city are from the south (west) approach.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/60. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Their Own World

Their Own World

May 11, 2012. "Their Own World." Photo 5 of 5 of the Snap! Orlando Series.

In the fourth photo of this series, a young couple on a Friday evening date were pretending to watch a Marc Gouby street photography movie at Snap! Orlando.

Somehow, the series of photos seemed incomplete without this shot bringing it to a happy ending.

The Marc Gouby "Sleepers" and "Commuters" display was excellent. Ultimately, though, street photography is about people, and there is no more important person than the one who is next to you.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.

Date Night

Date Night

May 11, 2012. "Date Night." Taken at the Snap! Orlando photography exhibit in downtown Orlando, Florida.

Picture 4 of 5 from the Snap! Orlando series is a continuation of yesterday's post, this time focusing in on just one couple watching a street photography movie by Marc Gouby.

Something about the girl in the picture reminded me of one of my favorite Salvador Dali paintings, "Girl's Back," except refreshingly less lonely in this shot.

For me, this shot is a celebration of the awkward moments when you first start falling in love; the days when the highlight of your Friday evening is pretending that you're engrossed in a documentary film, while the someone next to you does exactly the same, just so that moment won't have to end.

This photo sets the stage for tomorrow's fifth and final shot of the series. I hope that you see a little of yourself in the faceless couple and return tomorrow for the conclusion.

Leica X1. 24.0 mm. 1/30. f/2.8. ISO 1600. LR 2.